Textile machine



April 7, 1931 "r. LEWIS TEXTILE MACHINE Filed May 14, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Z 1 v TOR BY Ma ma 1 A%TORNEYS T. LEWIS April 7, 1931.

TEXTILE MACHINE Filed May 14, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AMYS IOIiI/ZZTOR BY gm Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THOMAS LEWIS, OF SCRANTON', PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T SCRANTON SILK MA- CHINE COMPANY, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA TEXTILE MACHINE Application filed ma 14, 1923. Serial No. 277,520.

invention is of especial utility when incorporated in a machine for twisting silk or rayon thread and that adaptation of the invention will be described for purposes of illustration though it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to that particular use.

In silk and rayon twisters as. now commonly constructed, the bobbins carrying the thread to be twisted are mounted on vertical spindles arranged in two rows, one on each side of the machine and supported in any suitable manner on rails extending between the end stands of the machine. Eaehspindle has a whirl which bears against the outer face of a drive belt extending the length of the machine and passing around an idler pulley at the rear end of the machine. Disposed between adjacent pairs of spindles is an idler pulley which maintains the belt in contact with the spindle whirls, and above each spindle is a driven take-up roll, with which the take-up bobbin rests in contact to be driven thereby and to wind up the twisted thread. In a single deck twister, there is a single set of spindles arranged in a double row, while 55 in a double deck'twister, two sets of spindles are provided, one above the other, each set having take-up rolls and bobbins above it.

In twisters as heretofore constructed, the spindle drive belt has been driven in various ways, and in one well-known machine, this belt is led around a pair of pulleys on a hori- Zontal shaft at the front end of the machine,

'one of these pulleys being fast on the shaft to be driven thereby, the other loose. Each stretch of the belt from the back idler passes to one of these pulleys, then to an idler pulley disposed between them and rotatable on an axis at an angle to the shaft. From this idler, the belt leads around the other pulley on the shaft and thence to the back idler.

Ihe shaft is driven by a motor through a. belt or silent chain drive. This construction is employed for a single deck machine and for the double deck type, the parts are duplicated, the single motor driving both decks.

This arrangement is open to various obj ections, one of these being that if one deck has to be stopped, for instance because of the drive belt breaking, the motor must be shut down, and this puts the entire machine out of operation, resulting in a loss of output twice as great as would occur if the two decks were separately driven. Another objection is that the manner in which each drive belt is led around the several pulleys results in a loss of power and places strains on the belt, reducing its life.

The present invention is accordingly directed to the provision of a drive for twisting machines in which these and other defects are overcome, this new drive including motors driving the belts for two decks separately and independently. Each motor is arranged so that it maintains its drive belt under the desired tension and takes up slack as the belt stretches, and this is accomplished by providing the motor with a movable mounting acted on by spring means. This method of mounting the motors also makes it convenient to use the shaft of the back idler to drive the take-up rolls, since the idler shaft may be mounted in ri id bearings and drive the take-up rolls sha ts through suitable connections. The motors are mounted with their shafts parallel to the spindles and the shafts carry pulleys around which the drive belts are led directly and without twists, thus eliminating the loose pulley on the drive shaft and the front idler for each belt, and also saving the power absorbed in these parts and increasing the life of the belt in that the belt is no longer flexed in passing around these pulle s.

With this arrangement the take-up bobbins are not driven by positive means. Consequently, if the driving belt slips on the pulley of the driving motor, the take-up rolls slow down in the same proportion as the spindles. This maintains a uniform twist per unit of length of the material, which is highly desirable in the operation of the machine.

The new drive mechanism affords numerous other advantages which will be apparent upon consideration of the detailed description that follows. For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a view of a double deck twister embodying the new invention shown in side elevation and with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a front end view with parts shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to these drawings, the twister illustrated includes end stands 11 and 12 between which extend rails 13 and 14 on which vertical spindles 15 are mounted in any suitable manner. Each spindle has a whirl 16 and the spindles in each deck are disposed in two rows, one on each side of the machine and in such position that each whirl engages the outer face of a driving belt 17a. EU), which leads around a back idler pulley 18 on a vertical shaft 19 at the rear end of the ma chine. Between adjacent spindles of each row is mounted an idler pulley 2O placed to bear against the inner face of the belt to hold it in contact with the whirls of spindles on each side of it in the row.

The drive belt 17a of the upper deck passes through an opening in the front end stand and around a pulley 21 on the shaft of a motor 23 disposed so that the shaft is vertical. The motor is mounted rigidly in a plate 24 having rollers 25 at its ends, these rollers being movable in horizontal under-cut runways 26 in plate members 27 attached at one end to the front end stand 11 of the machine and at their other end supported in a stand 28. Attached to the plate by means of an eye 29 is a strap or other flexible member 30 which passes over a roller 31 mounted on the stand 28 and the strap is attached at its other end to a spring 32, secured to the end of a screw 33 anchored in a bracket 34 projecting outwardly from the stand 28. The spring exerts a pull on the motor mounting plate. which can be regulated by means of the screw 33, and this pull tends to maintain uniform tension on the belt 17a and to take up any slack in this belt resulting from stretching or change in weather conditions.

The motor 23 is provided with the usual control switch, not shown. and this motor provides means for driving the spindles of the upper deck independently of those of the lower deck. It will also be noted that the belt 17a is made up of two straight stretches. one on either side of the machine, and the belt is not flexed or twisted except as it passes around the pulleys 18 and 21, which are in alignment.

The spindles 15 of the lower deck are driven by a similar belt 17b, idler pulleys 20 between the stretches of the belt being provided to maintain the outer surface of the belt in contact with the spindle whirls. This belt passes around a back idler 18 on a vertical shaft 19 and leads through an opening in the front end stand to pass around a pulley 21 on a shaft- 22 of a motor 23, mounted in a plate 24, provided with rollers 25 movable in under-cut guideways 26 in plates 27 supported between the end stand 11 and the stand 28. This motor is mounted vertically in the same manner as motor 23.

The mounting for the motor 23 is acted on by means of a lever 35 pivotally mounted in a bracket 36 on the end stand 11 and passing through an opening in an extension 37 from the plate 24'. At its lower end, the lever is attached to a spring 38 connected to an adjustment screw 39, which is anchored in the desired position of adjustment by means of a wing nut 40, bearing against a fixed upright member 41 through which the screw 39 passes. The spring 38 acts on the lever 35 tending to rock it to force the motor and its mounting toward the left, (Fig. 1) thus maintaining tension on the belt 17?) and taking up slack in this belt when required. The motor 23' is provided with a control switch, not shown, independent of the control switch of motor 23.

These vertical mountings for the motors which are self-adjusting to maintain the desired tension on the belts at all times, simplify the construction and increase the productivity of the machine, since, if the drive belt of one deck breaks or the motor for that deck requires attention, that deck may be put out of action while the other deck continues operating. With the drive heretofore employed, it has been customary to provide a single large motor for driving both decks and if an accident occurs requiring a stoppage of one deck, the entire machine is put out of commission.

In this machine, the twisted thread is taken up on bobbins 42 disposed one above each spindle in a mounting which permits the bobbin to rest in contact with the surface of a take-up roll 43. The roll 43 operating in conjunction with the bobbin functions as a means for imparting linear velocity to the thread or for controlling the thread speed. These rolls are mounted on shafts 44, one above each row of spindles and supported in suitable hearings in the stands. The shafts the driven from the vertical shaft 19 on which the back idler pulley 18 is mounted through bevel gears 45 and a train of gears generally designated at 46. By changing certain of the gears, the speed of the take-up of the thread may be varied as may be required. The gearing is arranged so that the shafts for the spindles of a single deck are driven in unison by the shaft 19, and at the forward end of each shaft is mounted a gear 47, driving a gear 48 on a rocker shaft 49,

- which forms part of a stop motion illustrated and described in the co-pending application of P. J. Thomas, Serial No. 259,518, filed March 6, 1928. This stop motion is so constructed that if a strand breaks the bobbin of which that strand is being taken up will be raised clear. of its take-up roll and thus brought to rest.

A gear 50 is also mounted on one of the take-up roll shafts at the front end of the machine and this gear drives other gears, generally designated 51, meshing with a pair of cam gears 52 on a shaft 53 mounted in a bearing on the end stand. 011 the shaft 53 is a cam 54 against which bears a cross-bar 54; connecting a pair of levers 55 acted on by a spring 56 to hold the cross-bar in contact with the cam. The levers 55 are pivotally mounted at 57 in the plates 27 and attached to the free end of each lever is av traverse bar 58 carrying guides for the thread being taken up. The rotation of the shaft 53 and its endwise movement produced by the cam gears 52 causes the traverse bars 58 to lay the twisted thread on the bobbins 42 in the proper manner.

It is desirable in a machine of this type to stop the take-up rolls in the event that the spindles are stopped by accident such, for example, as the breaking of the drive bar 17a. With the construction described, all the moving parts for one deck are driven by the belt 17 and the back idler 18 is mounted in rigid bearings so that its shaft may drive the take up roll shafts and their associated parts through the bevel gears 45. At the same time, with the new construction, uniform tension may be placed on the belt by reason of the spring-pressed motor mounting; whereas, if the mounting were stationother means would be required fortensioning the belt and this would complicate the mechanism. It will be understood that the parts described for driving the take-up rolls and bobbins and for laying the twisted threads on these bobbins are duplicated for each deck and in each deck the drive belt controls the entire mechanism.

An important advantage is afforded by the above described driving mechanism in that the take-up roll associated with each spindle is driven by the belt by which the spindle is driven and, as a consequence, the slipping of the belt does not vary the twist because the speed of the take-up roll and consequently the linear velocity of the thread varies with the spindle speed. The linear velocity of the thread is predetermined by the ratio of the gears in the driving connection between the idler pulley shaft and the shaft on which the take-up rolls are mounted. Since the velocity of the thread depends on the belt speed and not on the motor speed and the spindle speed likewise depends on the belt speed, it will be evident that slippage of the belt will not affect the uniformity of the twist.

As each belt is driven by a pulley on the free end of the motor shaft endless belts can be used, and whenever a belt breaks and has to be replaced it is not necessary to connect the ends of the belt. This is a decided saving in that the machine may be put into operation again in a very short time and eliminates a considerable period of idleness for the machine While the glued or cemented ends of another belt would be drying.

A further advantage which is afforded by the drive mechanism above described lies in the saving in the cost of power required. In a standard machine of 128 spindles per deck, it has been found that a single motor of 5 horsepower is required, while in a similar machine in which the drive of the present invention is employed, each deck may be driven by a 2horsepower motor. This is due to reduced friction in a machine equipped with the new drive, resulting from the elimination of pulleys, etc. and the direct drive of the belt, requlring no twisting and no bending except around the motor pulley and the back idler. The use of the two motors in the machine, each of 2 horsepower, effects a saving in power consumption which has been found in tests lasting about two hundred hours to amount to about 26%; that is, the cost for current supplied to the single motor drive is approximately 26% greater than the cost for current supplied to the two smaller motors.

It will be seen therefore that the new drive effects substantial savings in current and the twister output is increased. since one deck of the twister may continue in operation while the other is stopped, while if a single motor were employed a stoppage would affect the entire machine.

While I have described the invention as embodied in a double deck twister, it may be used to excellent advantage in a single deck machine, or in a machine in which a pair of threads are twisted together, known as a duplex machine.

I claim 1. In a twisting machine, the combination of a plurality of rotatable spindles arranged in upper and lower decks, a motor at the end of each deck disposedwith its shaft vertical, each shaft having one end free, a direct flexible driving connection between the free end of each motor shaft and the spindles of its deck, and means acting on the motors independently tending to move them to maintain the driving connections taut.

2. In av twisting machine, the combination of a row of spindles mounted for rotation, a.

take-up above each spindle, a motor, having a shaft with one end free, a movable mounting for the motor, the mounting lying at one end of the row of spindles, a pulley at the other end of the row, a shaft on which the pulley is fast, this shaft being mounted for rotation in rigid bearings,-a connection between the shaft and the take-up rolls, a belt passing around said pulley and around a pulley on the free end of the motor shaft, and means tending to move the motor to maintain the belt taut.

3. In a twisting machine, the combination of a plurality of vertical spindles mounted for rotation in upper and lower double rows, :1 motor for each double row having a shaft with a free end, a pulley on said free end of each shaft, a belt connecting the spindles of each double row with the pulley of the motor for that row, independently movable mountings for the motors, and means acting independently on the motors for maintaining the driving belts taut.

4. In a twisting machine, the combination of a plurality of spindles, a belt for driving the spindles, a driving pulley for the belt, an idler pulley for the belt disposed in a stationary mounting, and means associated with each spindle for advancing the thread at a predetermined rate relative to the spindle speed, said means being driven by connections leading from said idler pulley.

5. In a twisting machine, the combination of a plurality of spindles, a belt for driving the spindles, a motor having a shaft with one end free and carrying a driving pulley for the belt, a spring-pressed mounting for the motor constructed to keep the belt taut, an idler pulley for the belt mounted on a shaft, a plurality of means, one for each spindle, for advancing the threads at a predetermined rate relative to the spindle speed, and driving connections from the idler pulley shaft for driving said means.

6. In a twisting machine, the combination of a plurality of rotatable spindles arranged in one or more decks, a motor at the end of each deck having its shaft parallel to the spindles, said shaft having one end free, a direct flexible connection between the free end of each motor shaft and the spindles of the deck with which the motor is associated, and means acting on each motor and tending to move it to maintain its driving connection taut.

In testimony whereof I aflix mv signature.

THOMAS "LEWIS. 

